Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 D · 4 R cosponsors

SB 5491 — Establishing a prescribed fire claims fund pilot program.

Last action — By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 24, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 D · 4 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

79 added · 78 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Senate Bill 5491 has updated language to emphasize the importance of prescribed burning for managing hazardous fuel, specifically noting that it provides more management opportunities across various landscapes. Additionally, it highlights the role of tribes in utilizing cultural burning for healthy ecosystems. These changes matter because they underscore the necessity of increasing prescribed burns to reduce wildfire risks and make communities safer, while also addressing concerns about potential liabilities that deter such practices.

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S-1630.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5491 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Warnick, Shewmake, Short, Chapman, Lovelett, Muzzall, Holy, Krishnadasan, and Nobles) READ FIRST TIME 02/21/25.
S-0789.1 SENATE BILL 5491 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Senators Warnick, Shewmake, Short, Chapman, Lovelett, Muzzall, Holy, Krishnadasan, and Nobles Read first time 01/24/25.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.
Prescribed fire and cultural burning remove dead and downed brush and vegetation, providing more management opportunities for fire suppression across a variety of landscapes by p.
Prescribed fire and cultural burning remove dead and downed brush and vegetation near the forest floor, providing more management opportunities for fire suppression by proactively p.
1 SSB 5491 proactively removing hazardous fuels.
1 SB 5491 removing hazardous fuels.
Tribes have used cultural burning since time immemorial to sustain healthy and resilient lands.
Tribes have used cultural burning since time immemorial to sustain healthy and resilient forests and grasslands.
(a) Supporting coverage for losses from prescribed fires and cultural burning by nonstate and nonfederal entities such as cultural fire practitioners, private landowners, nongovernmental entities, conservation districts, fire districts, certified burn managers, companies, contractors, and operators;
(a) Supporting coverage for losses from prescribed fires and cultural burning by nonpublic entities such as cultural fire practitioners, private landowners, nongovernmental entities, certified burn managers, companies, contractors, and operators;
2 SSB 5491 (i) By a certified burn manager, under an approved burn plan, with applicable permits and in accordance with any other applicable conditions or requirements as determined by the department;
2 SB 5491 (i) By a certified burn manager, under an approved burn plan, with applicable permits and in accordance with any other applicable conditions or requirements as determined by the department;
or (ii) Reasonable costs authorized for reimbursement by the department under RCW 76.04.475, related to the prescribed fire or cultural burn.
or (ii) If the claimant is the department, reasonable costs incurred by the department in taking suppression action, or for payments authorized by the department under RCW 76.04.475, related to the prescribed fire or cultural burn.
3 SSB 5491 amounts available in the account established in subsection (7) of this section.
3 SB 5491 amounts available in the account established in subsection (7) of this section.
(b) "Cultural fire practitioner" means a person approved by an Indian tribe as having experience in burning to meet cultural goals or objectives, including subsistence, ceremonial activities, biodiversity, or other benefits.
(b) "Cultural fire practitioner" means a person associated with an Indian tribe with experience in burning to meet cultural goals or objectives, including subsistence, ceremonial activities, biodiversity, or other benefits.
4 SSB 5491 (a) The appropriated administration of liability, property, and vehicle claims, including investigation, claim processing, negotiation, and settlement, and other expenses relating to settlements and judgments against the state not otherwise budgeted;
4 SB 5491 (a) The appropriated administration of liability, property, and vehicle claims, including investigation, claim processing, negotiation, and settlement, and other expenses relating to settlements and judgments against the state not otherwise budgeted;
5 SSB 5491
5 SB 5491
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Action History

  1. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  2. Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

  3. Referred to Ways & Means.

  4. And refer to Ways & Means.

  5. ANR - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.

  6. Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM.

  7. Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 PM.

  8. First reading, referred to Agriculture & Natural Resources.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 142 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (142)

142 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 5491?
SB 5491 is sponsored by T'wina Nobles (Democrat), Deborah Krishnadasan (Democrat), Jeff Holy (Republican), Ron Muzzall (Republican), Liz Lovelett (Democrat), Mike Chapman (Democrat), Shelly Short (Republican), Sharon Shewmake (Democrat), and Judy Warnick (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 5491?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 24, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 5491?
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